For the first time in 16 years, there is water in the historic Capitol Mall fountain.
The 100-year-old fountain, located in the roundabout in front of the state Capitol building, has been out of commission since 2010.
On December 31, 2025, Sactown Magazine posted a viral photo and video on Instagram of the fountain fully operational, with water spouting out.
Their post states that it was the first night the fountain is flowing and open to the public after the state removed the last of the fencing after a lengthy restoration.
“The fountain, which dates to the 1920s, has been a dry, empty bowl since 2010,” the post states. “In fact, in 2019, the state was considering “the decommissioning and removal of the Capitol fountain.” Happily, that didn’t come to pass.”
What led to the closure of the fountain for all of these years?
The Department of General Services, wrote in an email that the fountain was turned off in 2010 and was found to be in need of full renovation in order to be made operational. Funding for the renovation was made part of the Unruh project.
In 2014, SacTown Magazine co-founder Rob Turner, wrote an essay detailing the fountain’s history, importance and calling for it to be repaired.
In a recent interview with CapRadio, Turner said he noticed the fountain was dry and started reaching out to the Department of General Services in 2011. He continued asking and after three years, that’s when he wrote his story — “Troubled Waters.”
“I decided to write an essay about it,” Turner said. “Both to let people know about the history of the fountain and why I thought it was important for Sacramento to see the fountain running again and to try and get to the bottom of what the problem was.”
Turner said he was told multiple reasons as to why the fountain wasn’t operational.
“They said it was everything from conservation related to plumbing problems to budget issues,” he said. “And it seemed that every time I reached out to them, DGS was giving me a different answer about why the fountain wasn’t running.”
The essay was Turner’s plea to the state and leaders in the city to work together and bring the fountain back to life, which generated interest, he said.
That interest led to eventual securing of funds in 2020 with the involvement of Senator Dr. Richard Pan.
Turner said he and his wife often walk by the fountain and on New Year’s Eve is when he noticed the fountain operational.
“Unfortunately, it was only operable for about a day, and it’s off again,” he said.
The fountain hasn’t seen activity since the beginning of the year, although there is still water.
When will the fountain be on again?
According to an email from DGS on January 7, the fountain is in final commissioning and anticipated to be completed by the end of the week, though it could take a little longer.
They also state the fountain would have a water activation from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and light activation from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Still, Turner believes the fountain will have a significant impact on the perception of downtown.
“I just think every city needs to have dynamic attractions and things to see and look at and visit,” he said. “I think it’s great for reviving some of the beautiful history of Sacramento, and, for that matter, California.”
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